BACKWARD WALKING SPEED: A NOVEL MOBILITY MEASURE FOR YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Mobility is fundamental to healthy aging. Forward walking speed (FWS) is a well-established measure of mobility, physical functioning, and fall risk but fewer studies have assessed backward walking speed (BWS). This study explored the relationship between FWS, BWS, and fall-related factors. Independently ambulatory, community-dwelling young adults (n=20; age: 22.9 years ±1.6) and older adults (n=19; age: 70.2 years ±6.2) completed forward and backward walking assessments on a 3.9 meter long instrumented pressure mat. Paper surveys assessed sociodemographic characteristics, fall history, and fear of falling using the Falls Efficacy Scale – International (FES). FWS, BWS, and directional difference percent change ((FWS-BWS/FWS)*100) were compared using independent sample t-tests, and simple linear regression was used to model the relationship between mobility measures and fear of falling. In the total sample (n=39), 23% of adults reported a fall in the previous 12 months. Compared to older adults, young adults exhibited significantly faster FWS (138.3 cm/sec ± 16.5 vs. 119.3 cm/sec ±23.4; p=0.006) and BWS (82.6 cm/sec ±18.2 vs. 63.8 cm/sec ±20.7; p=0.005). Males displayed a significantly lower mean directional difference percent change (39.4 ±11.4 vs. 47.4 ±11.1; p=0.034), than females. Among older adults, BWS was strongly and negatively correlated with FES scores (r=-0.58; p=0.009). BWS explained a greater proportion of variance in fear of falling compared to FWS (33.93% vs. 24.84%). BWS and directional difference in walking speed may be novel measures of physical functioning. Prospective studies should consider assessing BWS with future fall risk among older adults.

The twofold aims of this study are: 1) to examine energy consumption patterns and expenditure between young Chinese (aged 18-59) and older Chinese (aged 60 or above), and 2) to identify how energy consumption patterns and expenditure are associated with self-perceived wellbeing in the two respective age groups.Methods: A total of 2,303 valid samples (M age = 51, SD = 16.2) were obtained from Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2015.Hierarchical linear modelling analyses were employed using HLMs 6.08 for each age group to examine the influence of individuallevel factors and cluster-level covariates (i.e., environmental pollution, health care resources, and economic development at provincial level).Results: Among the young adults, those using oils, gas, and electricity reported better self-perceived wellbeing than those using solid fuels.Among the older adults, reliance on fuel gas and energy expenditure were associated with better self-perceived wellbeing.Conclusions: The harnessing of cleaner energy has the potential to increase subjective wellbeing across age groups.For older adults, the higher energy expenditure might indicate a dormant or isolated lifestyle, which calls for practice interventions to improve social engagement and promote wellbeing.

GENDER AND AGING
Abstract citation ID: igad104.2681

BACKWARD WALKING SPEED: A NOVEL MOBILITY MEASURE FOR YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS
Braden Popelsky, Kelly Ylitalo, and Samuel Hockett, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States Mobility is fundamental to healthy aging.Forward walking speed (FWS) is a well-established measure of mobility, physical functioning, and fall risk but fewer studies have assessed backward walking speed (BWS).This study explored the relationship between FWS, BWS, and fall-related factors.Independently ambulatory, community-dwelling young adults (n=20; age: 22.9 years ±1.6) and older adults (n=19; age: 70.2 years ±6.2) completed forward and backward walking assessments on a 3.9 meter long instrumented pressure mat.Paper surveys assessed sociodemographic characteristics, fall history, and fear of falling using the Falls Efficacy Scale -International (FES).FWS, BWS, and directional difference percent change ((FWS-BWS/FWS)*100) were compared using independent sample t-tests, and simple linear regression was used to model the relationship between mobility measures and fear of falling.In the total sample (n=39), 23% of adults reported a fall in the previous 12 months.Compared to older adults, young adults exhibited significantly faster FWS (138.3 cm/sec ± 16.5 vs. 119.3cm/ sec ±23.4; p=0.006) and BWS (82.6 cm/sec ±18.2 vs. 63.8 cm/ sec ±20.7; p=0.005).Males displayed a significantly lower mean directional difference percent change (39.4 ±11.4 vs. 47.4 ±11.1; p=0.034), than females.Among older adults, BWS was strongly and negatively correlated with FES scores (r=-0.58;p=0.009).BWS explained a greater proportion of variance in fear of falling compared to FWS (33.93% vs. 24.84%).BWS and directional difference in walking speed may be novel measures of physical functioning.Prospective and efficiency of using technology to save time and cost compared to in-person visits.Also, they perceived that technology facilitated their adherence to treatment plans.Older women, however, preferred technology-supported individualized care and perceived being able to review their medical notes as beneficial.Women were comfortable using technology to timely communicate with their trusted care providers.However, they preferred to see their providers in person if they experienced severe condition changes or unanticipated symptoms.Despite all these different preferences, both genders were comfortable using video calls with their providers, using the portal to keep track of their medical records and share decision-making with clinicians.These pilot results demonstrated gender differences in experiences and perceptions of using digital technology among older adults with cancer and suggested integrating gender preferences into technology design and development to facilitate personalized user experience and improve patient engagement.

WHY DO OLDER WOMEN LIMIT THEIR DRIVING MORE THAN OLDER MEN?
Anne Barrett, Hope Mimbs, Brianna Soulie, Jessica Noblitt, and Cherish Michael, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States Older adults tend to avoid driving in situations like heavy traffic or bad weather, but women do so more than men.Explanations for this gender difference, however, have received limited research attention.Using data from an online survey of Floridians aged 50 and older that was conducted between December 2020 and April 2021 (n=3,726), we examined four potential explanations for women's greater self-regulated driving: their worse health, their more frequent rides from others, their more negative attitudes about driving, and their less favorable assessments of their driving ability.The results of multivariate regression models predicting a scale of self-regulated driving revealed support for two of the explanations -rides from others and self-assessed driving ability.Women's more frequent rides from family members accounted for approximately 10 percent of the association between gender and self-regulated driving, while women's less favorable assessments of their driving ability accounted for nearly a third of it.In contrast, health and attitudes about driving did not operate as mediators.They did, however, predict self-regulated driving; having worse health or more negative driving attitudes was associated with more selfregulated driving.Our study identifies women's less favorable assessments of their abilities as a primary determinant of their more rapid transition from driving.Older women's transportation mobility could be better maintained through programs focused on enhancing their skills, as well as driving confidence.

HELPFUL AND HARMFUL COPING BEHAVIORS
Abstract citation ID: igad104.2685